11/25/12

The patchwork quilt for my dad is finally finished. Yay! I took advantage of the long weekend and instead going shopping I stayed home and played with some fabrics and my sewing machine. I had finished the quilt last week. But I still needed to do the binding. So on Friday I cuddled up in front of the TV, did some hand stitching and watched a few old movies.

The quilt measures approximately 72X54 inches; perfect for a lap quilt. The quilt is now washed, wrapped and waiting for Christmas to arrive so it can go to its new home.

11/18/12

Yesterday I made a batch of Brown Sugar Cookies. They were I rainy day treat for my husband. He had to work, so the Buttery soft and chewy goodness were a little pick me up after a long day of work. The recipe is an adaptation to one of Martha Stewart's Chocolate Chip cookies. My husband is not a big fan of chocolate (I'm a total chocoholic, so it totally baffles me his indifference to chocolate), every time I make chocolate chip cookies he asks me to leave some without chocolate chips. So I finally gave in and made him a whole batch of brown sugar cookies. They are delicious and you don't even miss the chocolate (and that is coming from a big chocolate lover). The added crunch of the sugar sprinkled on top adds an extra dimension to these cookies. We had them for breakfast this morning, a little Sunday indulgence, and they tasted even better.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius). In a medium bowl wish together flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
2. Using and electric mixer at medium speed beat butter and sugar until creamy. Add vanilla and eggs and continue to beat until well incorporated.
3. Reduced speed to low and slowly add the flour mixture. Using an ice cream scoop drop scoops of batter on to baking sheets. Sprinkle with Demerara sugar. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.
*Update: I noticed that I had written 1 1/5 cups of sugar. It should be 1 1/2. It has been fixed. Sorry about the typo*

11/17/12

11/11/12

Today I made a lot of progress on my blue patchwork quilt. It was a bit chilly (typical fall weather), which made it perfect to stay inside and and have some fun sewing.

All week I had been thinking about the backing for this quilt. I wanted to pull some of the colors from the top into the backing, but I was undecided about the design. I finally decided and made four Rail Fence blocks using leftover scraps from the quilt top. I placed the blocks on a vertical line running through the middle of the quilt. The quilt is basted and even started to do the quilting. It finally feels like it is almost finished. So close...

11/5/12

Time for another giveaway! I made this travel sewing kit for one lucky winner using the pattern from the book Zakka Style. The giveaway will be open through Thursday, November 8 until 9:00 pm PST. Then a winner will be chosen at random and announced on Friday November 9. I will be happy to ship internationally so anyone can participate.

If you would like to participate:

1. Leave a comment on this post. If you are a non-reply blogger or you are not sure, please leave me an e-mail address where I can reach you.

2. If you are a follower of my blog (old or new) you have a second chance to enter, just leave a comment that says "following."

11/4/12

Another fabulous weekend at home... the weather was almost summer like. I spent a few hours gardening with my husband. And after the little workout, I was in the mood to do some baking. I had all the ingredients at hand so I decided to make a batch of granola cookies.They are utterly delicious!

Don't be intimidated by the long list of ingredients. They are actually very easy to make (similar to oatmeal cookies), but with the added goodness of whole grains and nuts.

Granola Cookies

Makes about 2 dozen

Ingredients:

2 Cups old-fashioned rolled oats

1 cup all purpose flour

1/4 cup wheat germ

1/4 cup flax seed meal

1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 cup sunflower seeds

1/2 cup almonds coarsely chopped

3/4 cup (1 and 1/2 sticks) butter softened

1 cup packed brown sugar (I prefer dark-brown sugar, but you can use light-brown if you prefer)

2. Using an electric mixer at medium speed beat together the butter and the sugars until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla extract. Reduce speed to low and slowly add the oat mixture and continue mixing until well incorporated. Mix in the cranberries.

11/3/12

I received a very special package in the mail today: a copy of the amazing book Sunday Morning Quilts. Vicky @ Vicky K Creating hosted a giveaway of the book a few weeks ago and I was the lucky winner (I have been very lucky lately, I hope is doesn't stop). The book is signed by one of the authors! I'm a book hoarder collector and this is my first book signed by the author. This is my new little treasure. Vicky was so kind to also include in her package a pattern for a log cabin quilt, such a lovely surprise... I have to say, I spent a few hours today drooling over the beautiful projects in the book. I can't wait to start making something from it.